Side folding accordion partitions are used to provide space separation, often with the additional goal of providing one or more of security separation, sound control, and prevention of the spread of fire and smoke.
Panels which form the partition are attached to ball bearing rollers which ride within a mounted overhead track. A lead panel is attached to a lead post which in turn is attached to a trolley having ball bearing rollers which also rides within the overhead track. A powered looped chain is attached to the trolley, thereby providing the mechanical action required to open and close the partition.
When the partition is activated, the ball bearing rollers and lead post trolley roll in the overhead track causing the partitions to traverse open or closed. The partitions may or may not be slidably mounted to a floor channel. Partitions slidably mounted to a floor channel ensure that the partitions remain in the vertical thereby keeping the sweep at the bottom of the partition in contact with the floor. The floor channel provides lateral stability to the door curtain during travel towards or away from the closed position.
However, certain applications require a contiguous floor surface, i.e., unbroken by a floor channel, for example, shop floors where a channel could interfere with rolling carts, or emergency egress lanes where a floor channel could create a tripping hazard. In those situations, door assemblies that do not mount the partitions to a floor channel are utilized. These partitions are prone to translating from the vertical, preventing the sweep at the bottom of the partition from maintaining a predetermined relationship to the floor, thereby, for example, allowing smoke to pass underneath the partition.
Known designs do not prevent translation of the partition from the vertical when using folding accordion partitions without a floor channel. Accordingly, there is still a continuing need for improved sliding door design, and in particular, for maintaining partition verticality and sweep floor contact when using folding accordion partition designs without a floor channel. The present invention fulfills this need by presenting a novel anti-sway trolley assembly and further provides related advantages.